My Thumb Hurts When I Put Pressure On It or Bending – 7 Causes & Treatments

What Are the Basic Causes Related to Pain in the Thumb Area?

Your Thumb hurts when you put pressure on or bend it?! Have you ever tried doing a simple work without the help of your thumb? You would be surprised that a simple work like writing would become so difficult without the thumb not supporting the pencil or pen that you are trying to write with it. Thus the thumb is an important part of your body and is exposed to a lot of stress. Overuse of your thumb would result in Pain in Thumb Joint. Some of the basic causes of thumb pain are:

Pain occurring due to a physical accident

When you suffer from a sudden physical accident or trauma where your hand or the thumb area gets hurt, you would suddenly start facing thumb pain. You may also be exercising in the gym and unconsciously picked up a heavy dumbbell or a heavy object. This could lead to strain in your thumb area.

Bone Injury

Fractures in the thumb bones can also cause the pain. The most common fracture related to the thumb joint is called Bennett’s fracture. This injury affects the thumb joint about an inch from the wrist. In addition to pain, you may also have swelling and bruise around the joint. Fractures in the joints of the thumb commonly occur from falls with an open hand, sports activities or trauma to the thumb. The pain is acute and increases when you try to use the thumb.

Thumb fractures can be serious. Fractures at the end of a bone can limit your ability to move the joint. You may require surgery to stabilize the bone and keep it in the correct position as it heals.

Tendon injury

The tendons connect the muscles with the bones in your thumb. The tendons are attached near the joints to bend and stretch the tip and base of the thumb and to move the base from side to side. When these tendons stretch or strain excessively, they usually cause pain. Inflammation causes the tendon to swell, increasing friction and pain when moving the thumb. Trauma and excessive stretching can cause the tendon to tear. These injuries commonly affect the tendons that bend and stretch the tip of the thumb, causing pain in the joint closest to the tip.

If your tendon is completely torn, the pain diminishes after the initial injury. Later, you will notice that you can not bend or stretch the joint, depending on which tendon is torn. If you feel pain in the joint of your thumb and cannot move it, seek medical attention immediately because the torn tendons usually require surgery.

Ligament Injury

The ligaments link the bones together, keeping the joints stable. Trauma or excessive stretching can damage the ligaments of the thumb. Two major ligaments support the base of the thumb, the ulnar collateral and the radial collateral. The ulnar collateral is the one that is most commonly injured. This injury is often called a “skier’s thumb” because the injury is common among skiers: the thumb is forced back of the hand as the skier’s hand rests on the cane or on the ground.

Ligament injuries commonly cause acute pain in the joint where the thumb meets the hand. Pain increases with activities that require grasping. Although stretched ligaments often heal with a splint and rest, many tears may require surgery.

Arthritis of the thumb

Arthritis is not limited to pain in the knee joint only. There is a type of arthritis which is known as Osteoarthritis and this affects the thumb joint area. In thumb joint area of the cartilage, the portion is worn too much wear and tear, you would be visited by acute pain in thumb joint. In fact arthritis in thumb area is a common syndrome in women and then in men. In fact, women affected with arthritis of the thumb face the severe problem and are unable to undertake simple household chores. The basic physical symptoms faced are a swollen area at the base of the thumb, thumb stiffness and inability to grasp objects, severe pain, and absence of flexibility to do simple work.

The chronic systematic autoimmune disorder

A simple name for the chronic systematic autoimmune disorder is rheumatoid arthritis. The basic symptoms found for this are acute inflammation in the tendons and thumb joints area. Apart from acute Pain In Thumb Joint area, certain tissues in the thumb area may be destroyed by overuse and stress. Like Osteoarthritis, the physical symptoms are swelling in the thumb area, severe pain and inability to use the thumb properly.

Tendonitis

Another cause for pain in thumb area is tendonitis. Tendonitis occurs due to swelling in the pain area as the thumb tendons are overexposed. When the tendons in the thumb swell up, the movement of the thumb is restricted and this leads to acute pain in the joints of the thumb area.

How are these thumbing pains treated?

When you use a physician and a solution is offered to provide relief for your thumb pain, your physician has three objectives in mind. These objectives are removing your thumb pain, increasing the mobility of your thumb and creating stability for the weak thumb joint area. Thumb pains are treated using these basic methods which are:

Resting the thumb

When you have overstressed the thumb area and suffering from thumb pain, you need to rest your thumb for a few days. If you continue to strain it, then you might tear the ligament and create further complications. If you have had a physical accident and suffered a dislocated thumb, your doctor would advise you to put it in a splinter. With accurate support and rest within a few weeks, the condition of your dislocated thumb would improve.

Wearing Brace/ Splint

Its very important to it wear during the day, since the pain is felt, but also at night to keep your thumb in a natural, neutral position.

This is also will reduce the movement possibilities and give the joint the necessary support. Limiting the freedom of movement of the joint will give the tendons a chance to recover.

Pain Medication

When you suffer from acute pain in thumb joint area, you have to take painkillers. Painkillers offer you temporary relief for some time but do not diagnose the root problem. Most people keep on taking painkillers without consulting the doctor and this would harm your stomach. Sometimes special injections are taken to avert chronic thumb pain.

Apart from these methods of relief, your physician would also recommend you physical therapy or surgery if you suffer from acute thumb problem. Remember it is advisable that you should not leave a thumb pain for long and contact your doctor at the earliest.

My Thumb Hurts When I Put Pressure On It or Bending, Last Updated:11/10/2017